News Round Up: World of Warcraft Loses Another 300k Subscribers and More

The awaited second-quarter call just happened and World of Warcraft is at 11.1 million subscribers, down another 300k from the last reported number. The previous quarter had reported a loss of 600k.

However, this doesn't mean revenues themselves are down or that Blizzard itself is in trouble. Gamasutra reported today on Activision Blizzard's second fiscal quarter earnings which were 53% higher than predicted. The company largely beat its expectations because of a large increase in digital sales company wide, which includes things like Blizzard's digital subscriptions and store. CEO Bobby Kotick followed up by saying that there would be continued investments in all of Blizzard's staple titles, including the upcoming unnamed MMO nicknamed Titan.

Diablo III Beta Test Approaches!

Remember to have your beta profile up to date so you can have a chance to be in the Diablo III beta!

The beta test approaches! We’ve just updated our System Check program and would like everyone to update their Battle.net Beta Profile information by running the new one. You should do this regardless of whether there have been hardware changes made to your system.

You can run the new System Check by visiting the Beta Profile settings of your Battle.net account:

I don’t have a Beta ProfileIf you haven’t yet created a Beta Profile on your Battle.net account you’ll be presented with two download options, PC and Mac, for our System Check program. Running the program will present you with the Beta Test Opt-In Agreement, and once you agree to that it will immediately query basic computer specification information such as your type of video card, processor, and RAM. Clicking the Send button will then upload the shown information to your account.

On your Beta Profile page, you’ll want to ensure you at least have “Diablo Universe” checked for future testing, if not StarCraft and Warcraft as well. That’s it! You’re now eligible for future beta test opportunities.

I have a Beta ProfileIf you’ve previously uploaded your system info you should use the links to download the new System Check program for PC or Mac and update your system info. Run the program, read through the Beta Test Opt-In Agreement that appears, and once you agree to that the program will immediately query your basic computer specification information. Click Send and the program will automatically update your profile with your system specifications. You’ll remain opted in for whichever beta tests you’ve previously selected, and you can change these selections on your Beta Profile page at any time.

Having current system specifications and checking the franchise boxes to express interest in beta testing our future products does not guarantee your entry into the beta test. We will grant a very limited number of people entry from the entire pool of those interested, based on their system specifications and other factors. While having an official Battle.net Beta Profile is one way to potentially get in, we’ll have information on other ways to increase your chances as we draw closer to the beta test.

Hatchling Sales Soared

So apparently the Cenarion Hatchling sold over $1.9 million USD worth of pets--that's almost 200,000 little guys and their generous owners! All of it went to charity as well, helping the victims from the Japan natural disasters.

Of course, the question remains: Did you buy one?

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of World of Warcraft players around the world who purchased the Cenarion Hatchling pet, we’ve raised a total of more than $1.9 million USD to support the ongoing earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan. In May, we announced that for every Cenarion Hatchling purchased by July 31, 2011, 100% of the $10 USD adoption fee would be going to assist victims of this disaster -- and the community responded by opening up their hearts and wallets wide. Thanks again for your support and for helping to make an impact on the lives of those affected by these events.

Comments

Comment by LordBalrog

on 2011-08-10T09:13:48-05:00

As Adams said, The Lich King walked in on us half a gazillion times and told us of how easily he could destroy us and out world and then... he walked away. He let us continue killing his minions and destroying his strongholds.That's not a badass villain, that's a joke.

I think perhaps you missed the point of the Wrath storyline. The Lich King let us kill his minions. And he did it for two good reasons:

1> He has an up-or-out employment policy. Prove you are good enough, or die.

2> The whole thing was a setup from the beginning. Remember at the end of the Lich King fight he wtfpwns the entire raid, making it clear that you have merely been preparing yourself all this time to be his servant.

Also note that while Deathwing and Nefarian seem to have plans similar to 1>, we have had very little of the setup for something like 2>, or any other ending for that matter.

Comment by Adamsm

on 2011-08-10T11:14:26-05:00

Still wasn't menacing to me...at all.

Comment by Nekrotik

on 2011-08-10T12:27:16-05:00

And if arbitrary numbers that gave an approximation of how good your gear was were the measure of competence in this game, that would indeed be a problem. As it is you're saying the content's too easy and you've never even tried Shannox normal, let alone any heroic level content.

I never said anything about competence or the difficulty of Cata raid content. In fact, I made it perfectly crystal clear I was NOT talking about the difficulty level of Cata raids, I was talking about the lack of necessity to even try them to get decent gear in Cata - an entirely different point that shouldn't have been hard to understand at all. As for competence, we all know gear score has nothing to do with playing ability. That goes without saying, so you get no extra credit for bringing it up now. Try actually reading a post before you reply to it, you'll sound a lot smarter.

Comment by Sinespe

on 2011-08-10T12:31:14-05:00

I was talking about the lack of necessity to even try them to get decent gear in Cata

Define "Decent gear". Because, you were perfectly capable of getting "Decent gear" all the way through Wrath without raiding, too. But that definition isn't exactly meaningful. The gear you acquire from heroics allows you to raid -- in that sense it is decent; it doesn't necessarily mean you'll succeed at the current tier, though. And it's certainly not BiS.

Comment by Nekrotik

on 2011-08-10T12:55:04-05:00

Define "Decent gear".

I did, in my first post. I said I got my hunter up to 367 without doing a single Cata raid. That's not top 50 for hunters on my server, but it's close (58th at this moment), and certainly good enough to be considered decent. Better than I should be able to do without raiding, imo. That remains my opinion, whether anyone else agrees with me or not. I just think that me being able to do that mocks the accomplishments of people I respect, who go to the considerable effort of raiding.

Because, you were perfectly capable of getting "Decent gear" all the way through Wrath without raiding, too.

By "you" I assume you mean someone in general, not me specifically. Because you would be very wrong about that. ;-)

The gear you acquire from heroics allows you to raid -- in that sense it is decent; it doesn't necessarily mean you'll succeed at the current tier, though. And it's certainly not BiS.

Again, I quantified exactly what I meant in my original post. And of course, gear doesn't have to be BiS to be considered decent.

Comment by Sinespe

on 2011-08-10T13:01:12-05:00

That's not top 50 for hunters on my server, but it's close (58th at this moment), and certainly good enough to be considered decent.

But your quantification is flawed. You're blaming the gear being too accessible as the reason why you're almost in the top 50. Shouldn't you instead be blaming the fact that raiding is unappealing? I think you're right -- being #58 on your server without stepping foot in a raid is diabolical; if more people were raiding, though, your rank would be lower. It's not about the gear being accessible; it's about people not raiding.

Comment by Nekrotik

on 2011-08-10T13:23:12-05:00

being #58 on your server without stepping foot in a raid is diabolical; if more people were raiding, though, your rank would be lower.

This is true. It also isn't the point. My rank is completely irrelevant. What's relevant is the fact that I've been able to assemble gear that's as good as, or in some cases better than, people who are actively raiding. In my opinion - I'll repeat that: in my opinion - that should not be possible. And yes, I realize they could do the same. That reinforces my point - that anyone can do it, whether they bother to raid or not. To me, that's been a growing weakness in the game, and has gone to ridiculous lengths in Cata (which brings me back to the point I started out making in the first place).

Comment by Magician22773

on 2011-08-10T13:41:21-05:00

I will add my personal experience, that may help solidify what I believe Nekrotik is getting at.

My Warlock has an average iLvl of 361, give or take a point. This is the toon that I ran as my "main" from the start of Cata. I busted my butt through the painful period when Cata heroics were...well, painful. I showed up for 3 hours, 2 nights a week, every week to inch our way through the content. I sat through the 45 minute DPS ques for ZA/ZG, only to have 80% or better of all the LFG groups fail after only a boss or two and disband. </end QQ>

Now, you look at mu hunter. He dinged 85 the day 4.2 went live. With less than 2 days /played at max level, his iLvl is 365. Just a few days of heroics, which are faceroll easy now, capping out on VP's a couple weeks in a row, and a little gold at the AH, and he is now my best geared toon.

At least for me, it's not that I am upset that "anyone" can get geared so easy now, but rather that I can surpass a toon that I cried blood over wiping on Nef for 3 weeks, with just a couple weeks of faceroll heroics.

And what REALLY stings, is when you see pugs in trade looking for a DPS, and wanting iLvl 365 or higher. Knowing that my Warlock, who "earned" his 361 isn't welcome, but my Hunter who didn't is qualified, makes it that much worse.

Comment by Nekrotik

on 2011-08-10T13:51:09-05:00

I can surpass a toon that I cried blood over wiping on Nef for 3 weeks, with just a couple weeks of faceroll heroics.

Yes, thank you. It's not about how many people whose gear is comparable to mine - on a different server I'd have a different rank. What matters is that my gear is comparable to theirs at all. In my opinion, it shouldn't be. Why? Because they've been working hard at it for months and I've done almost nothing, with the same outcome. To me, the fact that I can take a toon from ilevel 341 to 367 in a month with no difficulty is not a good thing for the game. I understand some people will disagree.

Comment by Deathbang

on 2011-08-10T15:03:47-05:00

Subscription losses two reports in a row? How interesting. Maybe this will spur them to boot the B-team devs they have now, move the ones from Titan back over, and return to quality.

Ah, who am I kidding?

Until Blizzard starts losing money (which they currently aren't, they earned 53% more than they predicted) AND there is some substantial competition to WoW, that players might switch over too if Blizzard doesn't make a quality game, sadly I doubt anything will change. Since it doesn't look like either of those will happen anytime soon, I think Blizzard will continue to rest on their laurels.

Comment by pezz

on 2011-08-10T21:37:06-05:00

I can surpass a toon that I cried blood over wiping on Nef for 3 weeks, with just a couple weeks of faceroll heroics.

Yes, thank you. It's not about how many people whose gear is comparable to mine - on a different server I'd have a different rank. What matters is that my gear is comparable to theirs at all. In my opinion, it shouldn't be. Why? Because they've been working hard at it for months and I've done almost nothing, with the same outcome. To me, the fact that I can take a toon from ilevel 341 to 367 in a month with no difficulty is not a good thing for the game. I understand some people will disagree.

It makes no sense to compare you now, with T11 raiders when T11 was current content. New pre-raid gear is now available. What would your item level look like, compared to them, if you had done 'almost nothing' when T11 was current content? I bet you'd be SIGNIFICANTLY below all of those people. What does your item level look like, compared to Firelands raiders, since you've actually done 'almost nothing' while T12 is current content? I bet, yet again, you are SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW all of those people.

It's like saying that it's so unfair that quest greens are 318 when people who SLAVED through leveling in Vanilla got level 55 quest gear.

Comment by Interest

on 2011-08-10T22:00:06-05:00

Still wasn't menacing to me...at all.

Clearly he was waiting for us to let our guard down from laughing at him/afking out/yawning because he's not killing us for the 99999th time

Comment by Adamsm

on 2011-08-10T22:02:32-05:00

Still wasn't menacing to me...at all.

Clearly he was waiting for us to let our guard down from laughing at him/afking out/yawning because he's not killing us for the 99999th time

Heh, maybe.

Comment by LordBalrog

on 2011-08-10T22:16:14-05:00

Still wasn't menacing to me...at all.

Clearly he was waiting for us to let our guard down from laughing at him/afking out/yawning because he's not killing us for the 99999th time

What would have been menacing to you?

For me Deathwing is exactly what you are describing. Who could be afraid of the Big-Bad-In-Name-Only, BBiNO?

Heck, Ragnaros is scarier than Deathwing, and that's even with all the anti-climax of the aimless back-and-forth of the battle on Hyjal.

This expansion is suffering from a deficit of story-telling. Yet when we had better story-telling, and better player involvement in the story (the last two expansions), we have cynical forum-dwellers poo-pooing it as boring or comical.

Comment by Adamsm

on 2011-08-10T22:23:02-05:00

Because it was; the entire plot point of the LK showing up was to grow on the final reveal that it was all the work of the last bit of 'good' of Arthas holding back the full force of the Scourge; making it a joke. I'm sorry, but having the expansion boss trotted out to laugh at us, then turn around and walk away, when in WC3 Arthas the Death Knight killed everything that got in his way, was just jarring and really threw off the flow. They should have just stuck with the actual zone head honchos instead, with the LK as a nebulous threat in the back.

I agree that we should have seen a little more Deathwing, but it doesn't need to be constant. Also, BC and Vanilla were the exact same way; Illidan only mocked the heroes once in Shadowmoon Valley, and Kael turned up after someone turned in the item to A'dal to tell us it was a failure, and as for Vanilla, you had the Onyxia chain and the Scourge invasion, beyond that, no real interaction with any of the other major enemies: no Nef, no C'thun, no Hakkar moving around in the world at large beyond in their respective raids.

Comment by Felbeard

on 2011-08-11T01:27:43-05:00

I would like to stand up and be counted. I am one of the much talked about initial 600k. I was a subscriber in q3 and q4 of last year. I was not a subscriber for q1 and most of q2 this year. That makes me one of the people everyone is talking about.I did not leave the game because I hated it, or it no longer was what I wanted. I was somewhat bored and poor so I spent my entertainment dollar somewhere else. Because I am not a unique snowflake, there may be thousands like me.There is something in business called market saturation. It is the point at which your product is used by everyone who is going to use it. We do not know what market saturation is for fantasy mmo's mainly because they are still too new, and wow has clearly set the bar with subscribers at a very high point.While 11 million people may subscribe to wow, I would bet as many as 30 million have tried it over the years. It is possible that market saturation is around 10-11 million and the extras were merely taste testers. People who tried it and did not like it. I think we cannot have a conversation on subscriptions without discussing these sorts of issues in business and marketing. They only reached 12 million in q3 of last year. That may indicate that warcraft can "only" reasonably support 10 million players and the rest were overflow sloshed into the bucket and sloshing out.I think it might be important to understand that 10 million, if that is the general break even point is nearly 10x what other mmo's have managed. That implies the game is still pretty strong. It suffers from a bit of age, but it is generally not a bad game. I do agree that it appears somewhat that the b team is not as good as the a team in development.

Comment by Nekrotik

on 2011-08-11T20:48:44-05:00

It makes no sense to compare you now, with T11 raiders when T11 was current content. New pre-raid gear is now available. What would your item level look like, compared to them, if you had done 'almost nothing' when T11 was current content? I bet you'd be SIGNIFICANTLY below all of those people. What does your item level look like, compared to Firelands raiders, since you've actually done 'almost nothing' while T12 is current content? I bet, yet again, you are SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW all of those people.

It's like saying that it's so unfair that quest greens are 318 when people who SLAVED through leveling in Vanilla got level 55 quest gear.

I can barely make out what you're trying to say, but if it helps, I am quite well geared enough for Firelands.

Comment by pezz

on 2011-08-11T22:14:52-05:00

I'm not asking if your gear prepares you for Firelands. I'm saying your gear can't compare to people who have already been raiding most of Firelands (i.e., current tier, marginally successful raiders).

Comment by cethis

on 2011-08-12T02:05:39-05:00

At this point, WoW is just a time killer until SWTOR comes out. With as many videos the SWTOR team is releasing, it looks like the game is at least 80% complete. So far everything I've seen looks amazing, even if I didn't want to play it solely based on my experiences with KOTOR I and II.

Comment by OverZealous

on 2011-08-12T02:07:42-05:00

At this point, WoW is just a time killer until SWTOR comes out. With as many videos the SWTOR team is releasing, it looks like the game is at least 80% complete. So far everything I've seen looks amazing, even if I didn't want to play it solely based on my experiences with KOTOR I and II.